Newswise — Steve Burke, president of Comcast Cable, the country's leading cable and broadband communications provider, and a Colgate University alumnus, has been chosen to deliver the keynote address at Colgate's 183rd commencement exercises on Sunday, May 16, 2004.
Burke will discuss the value of a liberal arts education in a rapidly changing world. The commencement speech will be delivered to approximately 664 seniors who will receive their Bachelor of Arts degrees at a 1:30 p.m. ceremony by Colgate's Taylor Lake.
"I'm honored to be invited back to my alma mater to share this important day with the class of 2004," said Burke, a 1980 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Colgate University and a 1982 graduate of the Harvard Business School.
Burke heads the country's largest cable television company with more than 21 million video customers and 5.5 million high-speed Internet customers. He recently has been praised for leading the highly successful and unprecedented integration of AT&T Broadband's cable operation with Comcast. His work at Comcast has earned numerous industry awards, including the 2003 Multichannel News Cable Operator of the Year Award and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association 2001 Vanguard Award for Cable Operations Management. He dedicates his time and expertise to numerous cable industry initiatives, serving as Chairman of the Executive Committee for C-SPAN, a public service created by the cable television industry. Burke also serves on the boards of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Bank One and is a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
"Steve Burke represents all that we hope for our graduates " he is a visionary in his field who invests both his time and resources in his community," said Colgate President Rebecca S. Chopp. "At a time when ethics and accountability in business are of high concern, Steve is recognized as a leader who has the respect of all who know him."
Prior to joining Comcast in 1998, Burke served with The Walt Disney Company as president of ABC Broadcasting, where he was responsible for the 10 ABC-owned television stations; the ABC Radio Group, consisting of 27 radio stations and eight radio networks; and Buena Vista Television, the company's domestic syndication arm.
Burke joined The Walt Disney Company in 1986, where he helped to develop and found The Disney Stores, one of Disney's fastest growing businesses, with more than 680 stores in 11 countries. In 1992, he moved to Euro Disney S.A. where, as president and chief operating officer, he helped to lead a comprehensive restructuring effort.
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation, a developer, manager and operator of broadband cable networks and provider of programming content. With a presence in 22 of the top 25 United States markets, Comcast is one of the leading communications, media and entertainment companies in the world. Providing basic cable, Digital Cable, high-speed Internet and telephone services, Comcast is the company to look to first for the communications products and services that connect people to what's important in their lives. The company's 59,000 employees serve more than 21 million customers.
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